


The Weird Month of Pepper Potts

by yellowumbrellagirl



Series: Salt and Pepper [4]
Category: Iron Man (Movies)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-09-27
Updated: 2013-03-31
Packaged: 2017-11-15 03:33:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/522689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yellowumbrellagirl/pseuds/yellowumbrellagirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Pepper ponders, Tony feels, and Tess loses sleep.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> For those who originally started reading Salt & Pepper on fanfiction.net (once again kudos to college chum/editor/poster godsofwar), this is the first new chapter in a long time (in over a year - egad). Life got in the way of the scribbling. Thanks for picking up where it left off.

Tess disconnected her cell phone with a sigh and rubbed her slightly throbbing ear. She was tired. Really tired. She normally dragged herself out of bed at 6:00 a.m. on a daily basis to get a run in before work. If she were lucky she could get about 5 and a half hours of sleep before then. But her mind raced and there was a slight pang in her chest where her heart went out for Pepper.

It had been a normal evening until her cell rang at about 9:30. It was Pepper so Tess answered not thinking anything would be amiss until her,

“Hey woman!” was greeted by silence, then a muffled sob. Oh Shit. Nightmare scenarios clanged together in her head and a jolt of fear ran through her. 

“Pep? Are you ok?” The floodgates opened. It took a better part of an hour for Tess to reconstruct the events of earlier that evening in California. Between Pepper’s sobs and colorful expletives, it saddened Tess that so few people knew what genius, artistry, and command Pepper had over expletives, the events followed as thus:

There had been an Iron Man mission. And while not even Pepper knew the details it was very obvious that it had gone horribly wrong. Truly a Charley Foxtrot if ever there was one. After a battered, bruised and darkly sullen Tony was extracted from the smoldering hulk of the armor was when it all went – sideways. He has looked so haunted, Pepper said, and her voice had hitched. So she had taken a chance and asked him if he was ok. 

“He just sort of looked through me, as if he were trying to see, I don’t know.”  
Tess didn’t comment, she just felt her chest tighten. Pepper continued, “Then he just picked up the nearest thing, it was a wrench, and flung it at the cars and screamed. I just stood there, shocked. I didn’t know what to do, I froze. And then he turned around and he looked so bewildered and sad.”

Pepper Potts has a kind heart, those who know her know this. It is part of who she was, Tess knew. So she wasn’t surprised that Pepper had tried to reach out to Tony, to help him, because he was so obviously in pain. But it was Tony’s reaction that was a surprise, to Pepper at least. To Tess it was all a matter of PTSD. Tony got angry.

He had said he was fine, that he knew what he was doing. He was a superhero for fuck’s sake and didn’t need Pepper to take care of him. She just needed to go away, get out, leave him alone. Pepper had to GO AWAY. Pepper had backed up to the door under the force of his verbal onslaught.

Pepper had a kind heart, but she also had nerves of steel. So she had made one last valiant attempt. And Tony had stopped, as if he had walked into a wall. He looked dazed for a moment and seemed to crumple in on himself.

“All I said was that I just wanted to help. And I thought for a moment that he would open up and let me. But instead. . . “  
Instead Tony had picked Pepper up, bodily off the floor and threw, well shoved/carried her though the shop door. She was so shocked that it took her a moment to even register what had just happened. Tony dropped her on her stiletto-clad feet outside the door and then ran back in to the workshop, locking her out. 

“Don’t you have the code?” Tess asked as her mind raced.

“I do,” Pepper said, anger rising in her voice, “but the bastard told Jarvis not to let me override it.”

“Jarvis?”

“The IA, he runs the house, the suite, everything that I don’t. Oh god, Tess I’m worried. He’s never done that what if. . .”

It took another 45 minutes to calm Pepper down enough for her to talk it through. There were protocols, Jarvis would monitor his vitals and alert her and/or 9-1-1 if need be. Physically he would survive till morning. Mentally, this was a bit trickier.

“I know he’s got PTSD Tess, it’s obvious, but I can’t force him to talk to anybody.”

“No, no you can’t. But you can talk to someone.”

There was a heavy pause. “Isn’t that what I’m doing?”

“It is,” Tess agreed. “But will you listen to me?”

“Yes.” Pepper said warily.

“Even if you don’t want to hear what I am saying?”

There was a longer pause. Pepper sighed. “I think I know what you are telling me.”  
It was Tess’s turn to be silent. “You mean that maybe this is more than what you as a friend can help me with. Even though you are a professional. A disinterested party might be more advantageous right?”

“Not only are you fucking fabulous Pep, you are brilliant as well. I am glad you called me, and I want you to call me anytime that you need too, but it might be easier for you at some point to talk to another professional. Don’t be afraid to do that. This is heavy stuff Pepper, and I don’t want you to lose you to it.”

More silence, then a barely audible sniff. “I just wanted to help,” there was a strangled sob.

“I know.”  
“I’m scared for him.”

“That’s very reasonable.”

“Why did he push me away like that? The jackass.”

“Do you want me to console you or do you want me to tell you what I think?”

“I have to know what you think, it’s why I called. You know him too.”

And here we come to the tricky part, mused Tess. She took a deep breath, “I do, in a way, but not as well as you…”

“I don’t think anybody does,” Pepper said to herself. But she said it loud enough for Tess to hear. Bingo!

“So I’ll tell you what I think. This is only my opinion mind you, as your oldest friend. Will you listen?”

“Yes.”

“Ok then, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“Now you’re just making me nervous.”

“Hm,” Tess took a moment to organize her thoughts. “You’re right about the PTSD, and you can’t fix that. That being said, you care about him…”

“Well,” Pepper cut in, a slight defensive edge in her voice, “ I have worked for him for almost a decade.”

“You longest relationship to date,” Tess interrupted, not unkindly. “So what does that say?” There was a silence from Pepper. “You do know that it is ok to care about him right? You are human, you’ve know him for almost a decade, there is nothing wrong with caring about him as a human being.”

A sigh came through the line, “Yeah I care about him,” Pepper grudgingly admitted. “But. . .”

“And there is always a ‘but’.” Tess said, waiting for Pepper to continue.

“It’s not just the PTSD, and I won’t deny that it is a bit scary.”

“Agreed,” Tess said with sympathy.  
“It’s hard to be pushed away when you want to help…” Pepper trailed off for a moment. Tess was pretty sure that she was thinking about how Tony and physically pushed her away. “And I know how he’s treated women in the past.”

“Playing devil’s advocate. It is a past tense – and he’s never treated you like that. And yes, before you sate the obvious that is because you have never given him a chance to.”

Silence.

“But here’s the most important question I can ask you Pep, and please actually think about it before you answer. If you had to, if the situation became harmful to you – either physically or emotionally – could you walk away? Could you leave not just the man, but your job as well?”

White noise filled Tess’s ear as she waited for Pepper’s answer. There was a right answer to this question. As a doctor of psychology, Tess knew what it was, but that didn’t mean that it was an easy answer. And it didn’t mean that there wasn’t a thread of fear that was tightening around her heart. What if. . . 

“Yes,” Pepper said with a quite firmness that boomed in Tess’s ear. Tess let out the breath that she didn’t realize that she was holding. “It’s something that I’ve been thinking about ever since he came back from Afghanistan.” Pepper gave a wry chuckle. “Usually at 3 a.m. It would be hard, so terribly hard, but if I had to, if it ever got to the point where I had to go for my own sake. I could.” There was a pause and the next words Pepper said were filled with a weariness and truth that broke Tess’s heart a little bit, “I would leave.” Pepper paused again and Tess could hear her clear her throat, “Was that the right answer you were looking for?”

Tess smiled, even though she knew Pep couldn’t see her face, “That would be the right answer Pep. I will now state the obvious, and I do it cause you are my friend and I love you. You are the most important thing in this. Do what makes you happy, and what keeps you safe.”

Pepper’s long sigh came carried a note of relief in it. “Thanks for telling me what I already know. I mean that. But what do I do?”

“Are you safe?”

“Yes.”

“Is Tony safe?”

There was a chilling pause, “I don’t know. I haven’t heard from Jarvis that he’s not.”

“But Jarvis is a computer right?”

“Well he’s more than that. A digital Jeeves,” Pepper said with an attempt at humor.

“A computer? I don’t mean to sound thicker than a yard of lard here Pep, but how can a computer program let you know the welfare of your boss?”

“Simple. It’s a self aware, practically sentient, computer system created by a genius. He can monitor Tony. He’s done it before.”

“Hm. How can “it” be a ‘he’?”

Pepper laughed with genuine amusement. “I forget that people don’t live in the universe that I do. The “he” is because the voice is recognizably male. And British.” 

“Not sure how to feel about that. But then again I do not share a work space with an anthropomorphized computer butler.”

Tess and Pepper shared a chuckle. It was hard to tell who was more exhausted.

“Seriously Pep, it Tony safe? I won’t ask if he is ok, because he is obviously not. He needs help and some of that help has to be from a professional.”

“And that professional is not you,” Pepper mused.

Tess sighed heavily, “As with you Pep, Tony is a friend, and there is a line. But no worries, this didn’t cross it. You know how I like to worry.”

“Yeah, it makes me feel special.”

“I try. But what this all boils down to is that I can’t tell you what to do. I can only suggest things as someone who cares about you, and Tony as well. Look, whatever you decide to do about you and Tony. . .”

“He’s my boss. . .” Pepper interrupted.

Tess gave an annoyed sigh and continued as if Pepper hadn’t said anything, “whatever you decide has to be what’s best for you. I want you to be happy, but more importantly I want you to be safe. Fortunately or unfortunately, the two can be mutually exclusive. 

There was another pause, and Tess wished she could see Pepper’s face to get a read on her. But then again, Pepper had a damn good poker face.

“Are you feeling any better?”  
“A bit, I think,” Pepper sighed deeply, “Tess, thanks for being honest. I needed a short, sharp, shower of reality. Even though it kinda sucks.”

“I’m just glad you called.”

“I’m glad you answered.”

There were a few moments of silence as both Tess and Pepper pondered their thoughts.

“I’m going to let you go Tess. I’ll try to call tomorrow. . .” Pepper’s voice trailed off.

“Call if you can. If you can get him some help Pep, do it” Tess’ voice was soft and full of concern.

“I’ll try.”

“Just do your best. Call if you need anything, no matter what the time. I mean that.”

“I know you do,” Pepper’s voice became brisk and business like, “Now go to bed damn it, it’s late.”

Tess laughed and then yawned. “You don’t need to tell me twice. G’night Pep. Hang in there.”

“I will endeavor to do so. G’night.”

With the line disconnected Tess gave a jaw-cracking yawn and plugged her phone back into the charger. She didn’t want to look at the clock, but did, it was 12:30 a.m. Tess could feel the worry trying to pile up in her mind. With an effort she forced it back and closed her eyes. It could wait until the morning, correction, later in the morning. Then she could turn her mind to it. Tess felt herself drifting off. It could wait.

The ringing of her cell phone pulled Tess into consciousness, but at first she didn’t know why. As soon as her brain made the connection panic made her grab for the phone as one dreadful scenario after another ripped through her head.

“Pep?” Tess said trying not to let the panic into her voice. But there was only silence on the other end of the line. Tess pulled the phone away from her ear to check the caller ID, a new dark worry began to form. 

“Hello?” Tess asked again, and again there was silence. Tess jammed the phone hard against her ear and was able to hear an odd echo along with the faint sounds of what could be the hum of electronics. She took a breath to slow her heart. “Tony, is that you?”  
“Salts!” came the jolly slur. “To what. . . do I owe the pleasure of your call?”

“You called me Tony.” Tess said mildly. “At just a bit past 3am I might add.”

“No it’s not.” Tony sounded mildly irritated.

“Not for you,” Tess agreed, “I’m on east coast time, remember?”

There was a pause and Tess could hear the sound of movement. He must have me on speakerphone, Tess concluded.

“Oh.” There was the sound of a body dropping onto a piece of furniture. “Sorry,” Tony sounded bleak. And drunk.

“Well let’s not worry about that now. So.” Tess though furiously for a moment, how the hell was she supposed to start this conversation?

“Are you mad at me too?” Tony asked, his tone hollow.

“Um, no. Why do say that?” Tess could hear the therapist tone in her own voice, it made her sad in a way that she would examine later. 

“Cause.” There was the sound of liquid being sloshed into a glass. “Pepper called you didn’t she?” There was hurt accusation in Tony’s voice.

“She did call me earlier this evening.”

“She tell you how I fucked up? How I always fuck things up?” inebriated despair filled the phone line.

“Pepper told me that she is worried about you,” Tess’s voice was calm even though her gut roiled with empathy and worry.

“Why should she be?” the comment was snide and baiting, he wanted to fight.

“Because she cares about you, she’s…”  
Tony cut her off with a bitter laugh, he was starting to get himself worked up, “No one cares about me, they care about the money, the company, the patents, the suit,” rage filled his voice, but there was a sorrow there too, “I don’t have friends, I have business partners, employees, handlers,” disgust dripped from every word. 

“You have Rhodey.”

“I used to, now he’s toeing the government line! Nothing I do can make them trust me!” Tony was yelling now, “Nothing I do will make them see what I do is good! I keep trying to fix it – to make it right but they don’t want to see…” Tony’s voice broke off, strangling the last word. In the silence that followed, Tess could hear his ragged breathing.

“I see what you do Tony. Pepper sees. That’s why she’s concerned, she sees what you put yourself through to try to make things better. But there is only so much that one person can do by themselves.”

There was no reply from the other line, so Tess continued, “Even with the armor, you’re still just one guy Tony. What you do, what you see, what you’ve been through, it’s not, it hasn’t been, easy. We’re worried because we know, both Pepper and me, and Rhodey too, that even though you are strong-”

“It’s the armor,” Tony interrupted in a weary voice.

“Oh bullshit Stark!” Tess snapped. This was so hard, being pulled between Pepper and Tony, that Tess couldn’t be professional anymore. She had a breaking point too.

“And who climbs into that fucking suit to go and get shot at?! Who came back from hell with metal in the heart?! It wasn’t Rhodey, and it sure as shit was not anyone in the government!”

“See you are mad, it’s what I do, make people hate me.”

“I’m not mad!”

“Stop yelling at me,” Tony’s voice was raw with hurt.

Tess took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. Here was a man, a friend, on the edge. This situation called for calm, she had to be calm to help him. 

“Tony,” Tess made sure her voice was even, “I’m not mad, I’m frustrated. I didn’t mean to yell.” A heavy silence filled the phone line, a spike of fear shot through Tess.

“Tony? You still there?”

There was a heavy sigh and then, “Why are you so mad at me?”

Tess forced a laugh, “I’m not mad, I’m just worried.”

Another moment ticked by. “Why?”

“I’m scared for you. You’re my friend and you’re in pain and there is nothing that I can do about it.”

“I’m your friend?” Tony sounded surprised.  
“Of course! So is Pepper and so is Rhodey. You make us worry because we care about you.”

“Shouldn’t worry,” Tony slurred.

“Well we do.”

“Well stop it,” Tony said in an irritated tone.

“Nope, sorry.” Tess said with a forced and brittle cheeriness. “You don’t get to make that decision for me or for anyone else I’m afraid.”

“Leave me alone.” 

“You called me, remember.” Tess heaved a weary sigh into the silence on the other end of the phone. “Tony, only you can make the decision on this.”

“Decision… on what?” Tony’s voice was becoming more fogged by alcohol and exhaustion.

“On getting help.”

“Don’t need help. Fine.”

“No Tony...” Tess began.

“Pepper’ll fix it…she fixes everything…or…” Tony was struggling to find the words, “or…you fix it Tess. .. did before…”

“Tony I…” Tess began.

“I fucked up.”

Tess sighed, “A bit, yeah.”

“Sorry.”

“I’m not the one who you should be apologizing to.”

“Oh… How do I?” Tony left the question to hang. “So tired…” 

“I know. You should go to bed.”

“Too tired to go upstairs… gonna sleep down here.”

“That’s fine, just get some sleep.”  
Tess hear rustling and a deep sigh, Tony must be stretching out on whatever piece of furniture he was on. There was a clink, like a glass being set down. 

“How do I say sorry?” Tony’s words were indistinct and it took Tess a moment to figure out what he had said.

“Ice cream always works for me.”

“Kay.”

Tess waited a moment before she called, “Tony?” there was no answer. Tess hesitated, then asked, “Hello? Um, Jarvis?”

There was a quiet click and then a polish British voice came over the line in clear tones,

“How may I be of assistance Dr. Morton?”

“Is Tony asleep?”

“Mr. Stark’s vital signs indicate that state.”

“Is he in any danger?”

“His vital signs are strong and well within the normal parameters.”

“What happens if that changes?” 

The clipped British voice continued on in matter of fact way, “Then a protocol will be enacted that will have the appropriate parties notified to render assistance.”  
Tess wasn’t sure that answer really set her mind at ease, “Can I ask who those appropriate parties are?”

“Mr. Stark has not provided me with the authorization to include you in the protocol at this time. My apologize that I will be unable to answer your question sufficiently.”

Tess felt the sudden urge to scream. “Can you at least provide me with the information that he is safe?”

Had Tess not know better, she would have sworn the computer, with which she was having a conversation, hesitated.

“I can assure you that Mr. Stark’s physical well being is not in jeopardy at this time.” There was a pause and then in what Tess could have sworn was a cautious tone Jarvis continued, “Your concern for Mr. Stark’s health and well being is noted, and as a doctor of psychology I am aware that you have the responsibility to ensure that Mr. Stark is not in danger of harming himself or others. I can ensure you that there is no possibility of such a situation occurring within the next 12 to 48 hours.”

Pepper was right about this thing, oh who was she kidding – “he” was self-aware. Ok, so it sounded like she could trust that Tony would be ok until he either woke up or Pepper got there, so if that was the case…

“Jarvis, can I assume that you have a protocol that includes the recording of phone conversations?”

There it was again, a hesitation as if he was mulling over the question and how best to answer it. “Your assumption would not be beyond the realm of possibility.”  
The statement hung in the air, neither answered nor unanswered. Tess thought about it for a moment then said,

“If that were so, then perhaps if Mr. Stark were to hear a playback of this conversation, a positive outcome regarding the future of his mental health might be achieved.” Christ on a pogo stick, now she was starting to talk like this scary Skynet like intelligence. 

“As Mr. Stark has full access to my server, there is nothing to disprove that he would access to this record. And might I suggest that while he would have access to the original of this recording, should he choose to run a deep search, that our conversation might be redacted to a certain extent in easily accessed file.”

“Read much PG Wodehouse have you Jarvis?”

“I have access to no less than 14 terabytes of 19th and 20th century literature.”

Tess gave a soft laugh, “I will take that as a yes then. So, Jarvis,”

“How may I be of assistance Dr. Morton?”

“Can I request that Mr. Stark be made aware of our conversation, of this recording, should he be unable to recall it in the morning?”

“Your request is duly noted and accepted.”

“Thank you Javis,” Tess said and hung up. 

Tess sat for a moment in the quiet darkness of her bedroom. She felt drained. This was too much to process at the moment. A quick glance at the clock confirmed that it was almost four in the morning. Tess made the executive decision that she would skip the 6am run and sleep in until 7. She wasn’t sure how she well she was going to function on a little more than 3 hours of sleep. But she would manage. Tess plugged her phone back into its charger and laid back down. Her mind was racing, but she forced a thin veneer of calm over herself. It would hold long enough for her to process everything. Tess took a deep breath and closed her eyes, she dropped into sleep like a stone.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Tess is extremely tired and Tony orders coffee.

Tess was not having a good morning. Even forgoing her normal 6am run she did not get enough sleep. She had hit the snooze button too many times and had woken up late and in a panic, which is never a good start to the day. The adrenaline rush that had propelled her out of her apartment in a record breaking 10 minutes flat had worn off not long after she had arrived at the office, a mere 5 minutes late. The exhaustion was making her feel disconnected, and even the 3 cups of absolutely horrible break room coffee was doing nothing more than making her feel slightly jittery. The knot of worry in her stomach was also not helped by the acidic nature of the awful sludge they sadly called coffee.

The morning ground on into the early afternoon. Tess sat staring at an open report on her computer screen; she had re-read the same paragraph twice before realizing that she hadn’t absorbed anything from it. Tess had purposely not looked at her cell phone all morning, figuring that if there were anything to hear about Tony, Pepper would have called her. It sat accusingly on her desk, the dark screen of the smart phone stubbornly refusing to light up with any incoming calls or texts. It was on vibrate, if it had rattled she would have known. 

Leaning back in her chair, Tess closed her eyes and rubbed and her throbbing temples. She was trying to keep the worry under control, but it was starting to feel as if she wouldn’t be able to. It was not quite 1:30pm, which meant that it was 9:30am on the West Coast. What was going on? Should she call Pepper? Should she call Tony? What would she say? Just checking to make sure everyone survived the night? Well, that was an obvious, if tactless, question. It was not her place, Tess reminded herself. No, that wasn’t true. They had both called her, they had brought her into the situation. Cursing silently to herself, Tess got up and walked over to the office window. She looked out over the Manhattan skyline for a moment before coming to a decision. At 3pm she would call Pepper, that would be Noon their time, she would get answers then. Sighing deeply, Tess turned away from the urban expanse beyond her window and went back to her desk to actually finishing reading the report.

Awareness seeped in slowly. The faint but constant mechanical sounds of workshop were first. Familiar and comforting, Tony lay still listening to the low thrum, it was almost like a heartbeat. Hung over and not fully conscious, he knew exactly where he was. It was a small thing, but it meant everything at that moment. The slightly sagging embrace of the couch was the next level of awareness that presented its self. Tony stretched his legs out fully and felt both knees pop. The small stabs of pain that accompanied this made Tony open his eyes, the workshop ceiling stared back at him in placid familiarity. 

“Jarvis,” Tony croaked, “time check.”

The cool mechanical voice answered promptly, “The time is now 8:57am. Would you like the weather forecast for today?”

“No,” Tony mumbled, “It’s California, the weather is always nice.”

“The actual percentage of…” Jarvis began.

Tony cut off the impending scientific fact with a curt, “Not now Jarvis.”

“Very good sir.”

The silence that followed made Tony wonder if there was something that he should be asking the AI. Tony tried to focus on the last thing he could remember of yesterday. There was so much he wanted to forget, a wave of nausea hit him, but Tony knew it had nothing to do with alcohol consumption. He shuddered. A vague memory of a conversation floated up from the depths of his memory. It hadn’t been Pepper, of that he was certain of. He had never left the workshop yesterday. So. . .

“Jarvis, did I receive or make any phone calls last night?” 

“One call was made at midnight.”

Tony had a sinking feeling, “To whom?”

“Dr. Tess Morten.”

“Shit.”

“Would you require a playback of the conversation?”

Tony was still for a moment, wracked with a strange combination of guilt, fear, and something close to relief that he hadn’t drunk dialed Pepper. Finally, Tony heaved himself up into a sitting position. “Playback Jarvis.”

Tess was contemplating her fourth cup of coffee. It sat untouched on her desk, just to the right of her keyboard. It was just after 2pm, and while the worst of the effects of almost no sleep the night before had faded due to the ingestion of bad coffee, Tess still felt ragged and disconnected. She gave a weary sigh and pushed the cup of coffee towards the edge of her desk, she couldn’t face another cup of the horrid stuff. Then two things happened almost simultaneously. Tess’s cell vibrated with an incoming text message, and there was a knock at her office door. 

“Come in,” Tess called reaching for her phone. The section office admin walked in carrying a large to go cup and an envelope.

“These were just delivered for you,” she said pleasantly as she walked over and set them on Tess’s desk.

“Uh, thanks Sarah,” Tess said, slightly puzzled. “Who is it from?”  
“That question would be answered by the card. But I have to say that coffee smells amazing!” Sarah gave a cheerful smile as she walked out of the office. 

Tess sat for a moment before reaching for the cream colored envelope. Her name, Dr. Tess Morten, was printed in neat handwriting on the front. Still not fully comprehending, Tess opened the envelope, pulled out the card and read,

Salts,  
I know you said ice cream always works, but I figured you could use the coffee more. 

Thank you,

T

Tess was so shocked she could only blink. She reached for the cup and took a sip. It might have been in a paper to go cup, but it was one of the best cups of coffee she had ever had. Hot, strong and with extra cream, just the way she liked it. Tess smiled as she took another sip, feeling some of the tension and worry lift from her mind. The knot in her stomach disappeared, and she almost felt like laughing with the relief. Remembering, she checked her phone, one text – from T. Stark. It read:

How’s the coffee?

This time Tess did laugh. Reluctantly she put the heavenly beverage down to text back:

Amazing. Thank you.

A moment later her phone buzzed with Tony’s reply:

You earned it Salts. But maybe I still owe you an egg cream or something.

There was a pause as Tess pondered how to answer that. Before she could respond her phone buzzed again:

You ok? I know you didn’t get much sleep.

Tess replied:

Much better thanks to this excellent coffee, SHIELD coffee is swill. How are you?

Tess put her phone down and picked up her coffee again. One of the drawbacks with texting, was the fact you could never ascertain the true mood of the person you were texting with. That and when you didn’t get an answer right away it, it could be nerve wracking. Her phone buzzed:

Not sure. Simple answer – ok. Have you talked to Pepper?  
Tess replied: No.

Ok. Are you going to?

Tess wondered what he was getting at: Was eventually going to check in. But not until the evening – West coast time.

Ok. 

Then Tess’s phone went into a fit of vibrating. After checking, there were 3 separate messages from Tony:

Get back to work Salts, you don’t want to waste government money – ha.

Then:

You are the best. Thanks.

And finally:

Will try to call you later – ok?

Tess sat for a moment to let everything sink in. One small step for man, one giant leap for Iron Man she thought wryly. The best she could hope for was that the phone calls would all happen before midnight tonight. Tess replied:

Right you are, have many heads to shrink. I’m here if you need to talk.

There was no reply, even after 10 minutes. But Tess really hadn’t expected there to be. She finished the last glorious sip of coffee and started reading another report. 

“Ok Agent Barton,” Tess said to herself, “Let’s see how your fitness reports are looking.”


End file.
